Evolution of the mitochondrial fusion-fission cycle and its role in aging - PubMed (original) (raw)

Evolution of the mitochondrial fusion-fission cycle and its role in aging

Axel Kowald et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011.

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Abstract

Mitochondria are organelles of eukaryotic cells that contain their own genetic material and evolved from prokaryotic ancestors some 2 billion years ago. They are the main source of the cell's energy supply and are involved in such important processes as apoptosis, mitochondrial diseases, and aging. During recent years it also became apparent that mitochondria display a complex dynamical behavior of fission and fusion, the function of which is as yet unknown. In this paper we develop a concise theory that explains why fusion and fission have evolved, how these processes are related to the accumulation of mitochondrial mutants during aging, why the mitochondrial DNA has to be located close to the respiration complexes where most radicals are generated, and what selection pressures shaped the slightly different structure of animal and plant mitochondria. We believe that this "organelle control" theory will help in understanding key processes involved in the evolution of the mitochondrial genome and the aging process.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.

Steady-state levels of protein concentration C inside the three different mitochondria depending on the diffusion rate f. Parameter values are k = 10, _d_1 = 1, _d_2 = 2, _d_3 = 3.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2.

Stability diagram showing for which combinations of leakiness, L, and the ratio of mutant versus wild-type degradation rate, _d_2/_d_1, wild-type respectively mutant DNA survives. Parameter values are _c_1 = 1.5, _c_2 = 2.

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